Curry and Sushi
by Valerie Sabrina Verzoe
Summary: Indian Curry and Japanese Sushi seemed to be so different, but then when they are stacked into a hamburger, anything can happen. Lilly and Donald story. Witness their love, watch their struggle. Rated T for safety currently.
1. The Beginning

It was a sunny day in late May. He was in his graduation robes, his ebony hair styled slickly, hipster glasses sitting on his tall nose, while his hand clutched his graduation hat. His dark eyes searching as he looked around the campus of Barden University. He had to talk to her, this might be his last chance, they may not see each other again, but still he did not want to lose contact with her. They could stay in touch, at least he think they can.

The library, she was not there.

The hall she lived in, her roommate said she was out, while staring at him with an awkward look.

The quad is full of graduates, the whole green field turned into a sea of blondes, brunettes and redheads.

He managed to lean against a tree. Memories come flooding back into his mind:

He joined the Trebles, won his first ICCA championship, then second then third, partying all day. Then came his last year in Barden.

After four continuous victories in the ICCA championships, no one took the Barden Bella's seriously. On the audition day, only a few thing caught his attention: The not-a-dude Cynthia-Rose, the hot stuff Stacie and that quiet girl who seemed to be mouthing, but was hitting each soprano note clearly. That was what he remembered. All he had in mind was to enjoy his last aca-initiation party.

The Trebles constantly make fun of the Bellas, trying to get in their members' pants, then laugh at them when they got kicked out. That was what he did on the aca-initaion, he danced with Kori, the new member. Then he passed her to one of his fellow Trebles who took her to a back stairwell somewhere. He saw her later in campus, sneering at him as he walked by. He could barely remember her.

Then it was at the riff-off, he sparked off with Stacie, the tall pretty recruit with the hot body all boys were dying to get. Naturally he was attracted like any other man would be. They went out once, to a club downtown, they got drunk and made out on the dance floor, but that was it. There was no story afterwards, Stacie continued her lifestyle, he soon forgot about it.

Yet on that day, he first took a good long look at the peculiar girl. She was shooting at the Trebles when the Bellas sang. He found her interesting, while Bumper was sneering beside him. That posture and expression made him feel like chuckling for no reason.

Sometime later, the Bellas had to hitch a ride to the semi-finals because of the flying burrito incident. He was driving and the quiet Japanese girl sat behind him. He was beatboxing. She listened quietly, then when he finally took a break after telling his fellow Trebles that they were almost there. Then he heard her.

She was beatboxing to a classical piece. A combination that seemed weird but worked out perfectly for her, he could not hold back his compliment. "You are good," he looked at her and said. Then he turned back looking at the windscreen, after seeing her tiny smile. "I set fires to feel joy." She said quietly. That was unexpected. He found her intriguing, interesting, even a little…cute. "That's adorable." He could not help himself. She smiled again, while he was not looking.

He felt a little disappointed when the Bellas did not get into the finals. He saw the disappointment on their faces. The tiny smile of the girl disappeared for sometime, until they got back into the finals. He focused on practicing their set, especially when his jerk pal Bumper left the Trebles. He wanted to show that he was worth it, show everyone that they are worth the reputation.

Then during the finals, after their performance, the Trebles took their seats while the Bellas began their performance. At first he thought, Price Tag, not so suprising, to himself. Then he heard her. "It ain't about the money." The rasp rapping blew him away. He could not believe that the steady beat came out from those tiny delicate lips of hers. He watched in amazement, his heart strings tugged by every beat. He smiled, looked at Jesse and his fellow Trebles. He realized that they had lost. Instead of feeling blue, he stood up and clapped when the Bellas finished their performance, breaking Bumper's rule of not clapping. He truly admired the performance, admired the change that happened so quickly, admiring the smile on that porcelain face.

His flashback stopped, he figured out where she is. There could only be one place.

He went to the place where the riff-offs were held, the giant empty swimming pool. He smiled in relief as he saw her there, reading her biology book. She was twirling her pen with her fingers. It was fluttering like a butterfly. He walked up to her, his lips whimpered and called her name.

"Lilly." She looked up with her large dark eyes. She smiled, and whispered a 'hi'.

His ear caught the greeting in the wind. He sat down next to her. "Studying on grad day? Don't you need to take photos with the senior Bellas?"

"We did photo-taking already." She said nodding. He smiled, fishing out his camera. Then he grinned and said. "Mind taking a photo with me?" Lilly nodded sheepishly. He held the camera high in the air; her face leaned forward, inches away from his. He grinned widely while she smiled. The camera clicked.

"Damn, I look like Cheshire Cat in this!" He exclaimed. She looked at the screen.

"I once saw a shark grinning at me." She said quietly. "Interesting." He replied with a smile. She said nothing, looking back at her book. "Well, Lilly, I was wondering, can we stay in touch… like so we can hang out together sometime?"

She blinked, then tore off a piece of paper from her notebook. In round letters she wrote down her number. Then she handed him half of the paper. "I once got the number of a vending machine." She said and smiled. He scribbled his number and handed her back the sheet of paper. She smiled and put it into her pocket.

"I will see you around then," he said, standing up and patted his trousers. She smiled and waved a little.

At that day, Donald Ananth Singh walked out of Barden University with his bachelor of arts degree , his fond memories in being one of the acapella bad boys, and the image of the beatboxing porcelain girl, with mesmerizing dark eyes, silk ebony hair and a tiny pursed smile.

He thought that was the end of his university life, but like what Jesse always said, "Endings are the best parts," he smiled at that thought. Endings are great, because they are beginnings of new things, new life.

Goodbye Barden, hello LA.

Author's note:

Well it is my first pitch perfect fanfic! I fell in love in this movie after watching it. The first chapter may be a little lame, it will be better I promise! Stay tuned, rate and review! (smiles)

p.s. I made up Donald's full name, please don't kill me.

V.S.V


	2. 3 years

It has been 3 years, 3 long years.

Donald straightened his tie, and sat down on the modernist chair, he sunk into the red orb. Impatiently he stared at the clock at the blank wall. Then he stared at the secretary, an old woman who was dressed in a purple suit and typing. Then he stared at the ground again. He was the last candidate, he sat silently, hearing nothing but 'tap, tap, tap' on the keyboard.

"Mr. Singh," he heard a rough voice calling. It was the secretary. "Mr. Holland will see you right now." He stood up, and walked towards the office. "Thank you…Maryann." He said after taking a quick peek at her coffee mug. She took a sip from the mug inscribed 'Maryann-Secretary of the Year'.

He walked slowly, with a certain stride that showed his confidence but not pride for himself. He reached the door of the human resources manager. 'Mr. M. Holland' was carved on a metal plate at the door. He knocked clearly for three times.

"Come on in," he heard. So he opened the door slowly. "Mr. Holland," he nodded.

"Sit down son," he replied. Mr. Holland was a beefy man in his fifties, his head nearly bald. It was quite evident he used to be a football player in his youth, given his size and the photos on his working desk. "Now son, where are you from?" He asked, looking at Donald. Donald leaned a little forward, and cleared his throat. "I grew up in LA, BA from Barden University, got my MBA from Anderson School of Management, UCLA."

He replied clearly. Mr. Holland smiled and nodded. "You are a straight forward person," he added. "I like them straight." Then they talked for several minutes, about the business market and finance. Mr. Holland seemed rather pleased hearing his comments. He stood up and straightened his suit. "Well son, can you be here at 9 next Monday?" Donald paused for a second, then he shot up from his chair. "Sure thing, Mr. Holland." He grinned and shook hands with this beefy man who is his superior now. "See you." Then he walked out of the office.

At that moment, his phone rang. It was his brother, Daniel. "What's up bro, just got the job." He said happily to his brother. "Great, Donald," he answered back. "Just a little thing, can you go pick up Charlie for me? I have tones of paperwork and Gita had to help out at the restaurant with Mama." He heard his big brother being pretty anxious over the phone. "What's wrong? I thought he was off by now, shouldn't he be at home already?" He could feel his brother shaking his head. "The kid was playing with his video games during class and is sent to detention class by the teacher." He pushed his glasses. "Sure thing, I will go pick him up." Then he went down to the parking lot, hopped into his second-hand Toyota and went to the school.

On the top of the tree, a little bird was chirping happily outside the classroom. A little Indian boy sat alone in the classroom with his teacher. He was barely twelve, and was clicking his pen repeatedly. He stared at the half-completed exercise, his eyebrows frowning. He looked up at his teacher, who was correcting the exercises. The little boy gulped and raised his hands timidly. "Miss can I leave now?" The boy looked at her with puppy-like eyes. She shook her head slowly. She stared at him with her obsidian eyes. "Not until you complete the exercise on plate tectonics." She said quietly with a nice smile. "Or you can have a sleepover with the bats and rats." Then she continued marking the homework. "You are not supposed to play video games in class, Charlie." She mumbled quietly. He gulped again and filled in the blanks.

"Miss," Charlie handed her the completed exercise. She quickly checked it. "The school bus has gone by now." She said quietly. "Anyone coming to pick you up?  
Charlie shrugged. "Dunno, maybe someone will come."

Then there was a knock on the door. "Excuse me, can I come in Miss?" She heard a voice, it was so familiar to her. "Sure." She answered while nodding. Charlie arched an eyebrow. Then grinned at the person coming in. "Uncle," he called him. "Hey," he replied. "Hello 'Mam," he addressed the teacher, and then took a long look at her.

"Hold on a minute," he hesitated. "Aren't you Lilly?" He broke into a wide grin. Then he pulled her towards his hand and gave her a hug. She seemed shock-stiffed. Charlie looked at the two with amazement. "Man," he said, still not believing what he saw. "I wanted to call you but I lost your number."

"I tried to call the district attorney once, but they tell me you can't order pizza there." She replied.

He smiled. "Can I have your number again?"

He took his phone out of his pocket and handed it to her. She input the digits and handed him back. Then he patted his nephew on the head. "What did Charlie do?"

She gave him a portable video game console. "He was playing during class." She answered. "He still owes me an assignment, so I asked him to stay behind and finish the work." Donald nodded, while Charlie had problems listening to what his teacher was saying. "I see," he said. "Well Charlie, don't do it next time. Go outside and wait for me for a second." The little boy nodded and walked out of the room.

"Lilly, it has been such a long time," he said. "I will call you later. Gotta go."

He grinned and walked out of the classroom. Lilly stacked her books and walked outside of the classroom. Donald suddenly tapped her on her shoulder. She turned around. His face was close to hers. She could almost feel his breath on her face. "You need a ride home?" Lilly shook her head. "I live quite close from school," she said. "I enjoy walking home, so I can talk to the birds."

He took her stack of books from her. She was going to say something but he put his finger on his lip. "I insist." He said. "Get your handbag and meet me at the gate." Then he smiled, holding Charlie's hand and her books. She nodded and scurried away into the staff room.

Donald was leaning against the old car. His nephew stood next to him, avoiding his uncle's stare. "I know I am not your dad, but still Charlie," he started talking to his little nephew. "This is a private middle school, its expensive. You should not be fooling around." Charlie nodded. "I know uncle Don, but I cannot hear Miss Ona…Ona," he hesitated at the name of his teacher. "Whatever, her voice is so soft, I felt so bored, and geography is killing me." Donald frowned and ruffled his nephew's hair. "You are a good kid," he said. "Just try to listen to her, you will hear a lot of things if you pay attention." He smiled at the child.

Lilly walked towards the red Toyota and smiled at Donald sheepishly. He opened the car door like a gentleman. "Aw no shotgun today uncle Don?" Charlie moaned, while Donald rolled his eyes. "I am going to take her home first okay?" Then he started the car. "Lilly it has been such a long time," he said as he was driving slowly. She nodded with a smile. "I wonder if we can catch up sometime," Lilly lowered her head, staring at her flats. "I don't need to work Saturday and Sunday." She said quietly. Charlie looked at his uncle, who broke into a wide grin. "Sure I will pick you up at six on Saturday then?" She nodded. "Ohh, Uncle, I am telling grandma," Charlie sang the sentence along the radio. "You are hitting on Miss Ooooo…" Donald shot him a death glare. Charlie stopped talking and started playing video games. The two in the front began beat-boxing at the song playing from the radio. They looked at each other and smiled. Charlie stared at the two with amazement for a while and returned to his video games, humming to the music.

He pulled over at a suburban house, with white picket fencing and rose bushes in the front garden. He opened the car door for Lilly. "Here you are," he smiled. "So I will make sure Charlie cause you no more trouble, okay? See you on Saturday." He waved at her, and hopped on the car. She smiled and walked towards the house. Donald looked at her image slowly diminishing, while Charlie shouted happily and took the shotgun seat. He smiled and started the car.

"Grandma!" Charlie ran towards his grandmother, Donald's mother who was stirring curry in the kitchen. "Hello, dear," she smiled and patted him on the head affectionately. Donald nodded at his sister-in-law Gita, Charlie's mother and hugged his mother. "Where's dad?" He asked. "Marinating the pork at the back I think," she replied, while dumping a dash of spice into the gigantic curry pot.

"Oh grandma, I have something to tell you!" Charlie said excitedly. "Uncle Don is…" Donald shot him a glare. "Mom, I got the job." He grinned at his mother, who screamed in excitement. "I am so happy for you!" She reached out her arms to him, almost knocking over the curry pot. She hugged him tightly. "No, granny! Uncle Don…" Charlie insisted in continuing his interrupted sentence. "Go back upstairs, Charlie! You have homework!" Gita shouted at her son, pointing at the staircase. Donald signed in relief for his sister-in-law saving him from a long conversation.

"Yuri-chan," Lilly was sipping on her tea, when her mother called her. "How was work today?" Lilly nodded, replying quietly. "It was fine, mom." Her mother smiled at her. "Your elder brother and sister is coming home for dinner tomorrow, since your father will be back from Seattle tomorrow," she said. "Come home early tomorrow if you can."

"Yes mom," she nodded and said. Her mother nodded in approval. "Now lets eat, shall we?" Lilly nodded and put a piece of tuna sushi into her mouth. She stared at the food on the table and ate silently.

What she did not notice was she stared at the steaming Japanese curry on the table, and could not stop smiling for some peculiar reasons. Perhaps the aromatic brown mixture reminded her of someone?

After all, it had been 3 years.

Author's note:

This is the new chapter! The summary is basically random 'cause I cannot think of anything to write about so have fun reading and reviewing!

V.S.V.


	3. The first date

Lilly was sleepless last night, tossing and turning in her bed. She paced in her room since she got up this morning. Donald will be here in less than 10 hours. The clock is ticking, she felt so nervous about this 'reunion'. "Yuri-chan, breakfast in ready." Her mother popped into the room, causing her to scream quietly. She stared at the mess in her room, arching one eyebrow and smiled. "You are going out tonight?" Lilly nodded shyly. "Have fun then, come home before 12." she said, leaving her room.

Lilly was pulling her hair off inside; she could not decide what to wear. She wanted to impress him but she did not want to give him the impression that she was a slut. She pulled out everything in her wardrobe, looking puzzled and confused. She ran her hand through her hair. 'This is it,' she thought to herself as she pulled a t-shirt over her head, put on jeans and flats then walked out of her room. She went downstairs to the kitchen, where her mother was cleaning up the breakfast dishes. "Yuri-chan, where are you going?" She asked looking puzzled.

"I am going shopping," she smiled at her mother and left the house. "But I have cooked your favourite salted salmon…" Her mother said when she saw Lilly left the house.

"I am definitely not going to leave my Queen bed if Stacie here didn't say that you are treating us waffles," said Fat Amy, wolfing down her third helping. Lilly smiled at the duo. "I haven't shopped with girls since I did my turn at the county," she said quietly. "Well, tell me about this big date," Stacie said after she swallowed the last piece of her waffle. She winked at Lilly. "Is he hot?" Lilly bit her lip and decided to shrug. "Playing mysterious eh?" Stacie winked again. "Man let's go shopping now," said Fat Amy, happily patting her round belly. Lilly paid for Fat Amy and herself, while Stacie footed her own bill. They walked to the nearby mall. "Let go to my favourite boutique, I can get 30% VIP discount." Stacie smiled and they walked into the boutique.

Three girls stood in the boutique in the mall. The tall brunette was browsing around, placing one piece of clothing after another onto Lilly, then shook her head. The other was moaning, saying this would not work. She swung her orthodox Jew ponytail and kept saying how koala grey or kangaroo brown would work better.

"So you have decided that dragging us out of the blue…just because you can't think of anything to wear for your date?" Fat Amy said. Lilly looked down at her shoes. "That is so awesome!" She laughed heartily. "How come everything I pick doesn't look too good on you?" Stacie frowned, placing another dress with a jaw-dropping neckline onto Lilly. "Because skinny lilly here, doesn't have your boobs!" Fat Amy said. "It is Fat Amy action time, come on!" Then she almost leapt into the rack of dresses, and began searching like a dingo looking for its prey.

"Here!" She pulled out a white, layered chiffon dress, which looks elegant in the front, but has a revealing backside. There was a large opening from the neck to the lower back. "Shy and sexy in one go," she said. Stacie nodded in agreement. "Although I won't wear that myself, I agree that this will look good on you," she said. "Go try it on!" Then Stacie and Fat Amy pushed Lilly into the fitting room.

"We have never had a chance helping you to prepare for a date, Liz!" Stacie said in excitement. They were in her house, her mother looked with amazement as the duo entered with her daughter. They greeted her politely and led Lilly straight to her room. Lilly left them there to browse at her room while she rushed to take a shower. She could feel herself being nervous, her palms were sweating, her heart was racing; she was trembling, and almost knocked the toilettes over. When she was finally done, she went back to her room. Fat Amy and Stacie kept on talking to her as they help her style her hair, do her makeup and match her shoes and accessories.

"Just stay calm, smile and you have your guy safe in your grasp." Stacie smiled and said, as she put on Lilly's lipstick. "Well, a little revealing won't hurt."

"Make sure you eat with manners," added Fat Amy. "I once had a date with a guy who ate like a vacuum cleaner." Lilly smiled at her friends' kind remarks.

"We will leave now, have fun cutie!" Stacie blew Lilly a kiss and pulled Fat Amy to her car. "Eat politely-yyyyyy!" She could hear Fat Amy shouting from a distance. Lilly's mother stared with her mouth opened as her daughter walked down and twirled in front of her. "How do I look, mama?" Lilly smiled and asked.

"Lovely," her mother smiled and stood up. "Make sure you don't catch a cold, Yuri-chan." Then she went into the kitchen and started prepare for dinner.

Lilly looked at the clock, it was 5 minutes to six. She wore a long cardigan on herself and held her handbag. Then she heard the doorbell, immediately she rose, almost tripping over her heels. Yet, her mother was faster than her. She opened the door and saw this young Indian man towering over her, smiling at her gently. "You must be Mrs. Onakuramara," he said. "Yes, I am," she stared at him and said. "Nice to meet you." He nodded at her. She nodded back. "The pleasure is mine," she replied. "Mama?" Lilly stood next to her. "This is Donald. This is my mother." Donald smiled and looked at Lilly. "Shall we go now?" Lilly nodded, and went outside the door. Donald then stared at Lilly, his eyes admiring her. Her black silky hair was curled a little at the ends. Her face was perfectly painted with make-up. She wore a pair of earrings, and on her fingers wore gigantic rings that looked extravagant. Her dress was amazing, very sophisticated and elegant. She looked like she walked out of a painting. He opened the door of the car for her. Then they drove away.

Donald opened the door for her again. They arrived at the new sushi bar in downtown. "I have been dying to try this place," Lilly exclaimed almost soundlessly. Donald smiled and the two walked into the restaurant. The waiter led them to one of the table.

Donald pulled the chair for her; she smiled at him and took off her cardigan. His jaw dropped and his nose felt a surge of blood. "Lilly, your dress…is amazing." He said, his face still in shock. She looked down and said thank you. They ordered food and Lilly began staring at the aquarium next to the table. "I was born with gills like a fish." Lilly smiled and said, still admiring the swimming colours. "I know you mentioned it in the auditions right?" He smiled. "I heard every single word you sang, amazing pitch, I wouldn't be surprised if you are a music major."

Lilly's face blushed. She never knew that he noticed her that much, especially when he said he heard every single word she sang. Aubrey had consistently said that she could not hear her. "Father said I would be better off as a teacher," she said. "He said only beggars earn a living by singing."

The food arrived. They ate rather quietly. Donald stared at her, slowing putting the morsels into her tiny mouth. He sipped his miso soup quietly. Then Lilly suddenly looked at him with her dark eyes. He smiled at her. They finished their meal so quietly that they could almost hear each other's heartbeat.

The two walked side by side, in an empty park. Lilly stared at her pointy shoe. "We should have gone Dutch," she whispered. Donald waved his hand at the statement. "Seriously, any guy won't go dutch with only one girl as company," he said. "Especially, with a girl he like pretty well." Lilly batted her eyelashes. They went towards a bench, below a large tree. "The tree was crying," she said, staring at the wet bench. Donald took out a piece of tissue and wiped the bench. "Here," then she sat down. He took a seat next to her. "It is so nice seeing you after such a long time, Lilly." He began, Lilly looked down at her shoes again, they seem extraordinarily interesting today. He looked at her profile, then she turned away shyly. "Lilly, look at me," Donald said to her, hoping for a glimpse from her. She slowly turned at him.

He smiled and placed his hand on his thigh. "Lilly, I wanted to ask you this for a long time, no I should've asked you this when I left Barden," he took a deep breath. Lilly's hairs went straight behind her neck. She waited for him to speak.

He pushed his glasses and slowly reached for Lilly's hand.  
Lilly did not move, slowly she allowed Donald to take her hand. He held her hand in his. "Lilly I want to ask you, can you be my girlfriend?" Her eyes widened.

"I know this might be abrupt, but I…I have liked you for a very long time," he said, his face closing into Lilly's. Lilly could feel her heart racing, blood rushed to her face. He looked at her, his eyes shone with anticipation. She withdrew her hand from his, then, taking him by surprise, she hugged him tightly while singing softly beside him.

"Heartbeats fast

Colors and promises

How to be brave

How can I love when I'm afraid to fall

But watching you stand alone

All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow

One step closer

I have died everyday waiting for you

Darling don't be afraid I have loved you

For a thousand years

I love you for a thousand more…"

Donald pulled away from her, looked at her beaming face. She kept on singing,

"I have died everyday waiting for you

Darling don't be afraid I have loved you

For a thousand years

I love you for a thousand more

And all along I believed I would find you

Time has brought your heart to me

I have loved you for a thousand years

I love you for a thousand more."

Donald gasped. "Wow," he smiled and said in amazement. "Wow."

Lilly smiled, not saying a word. Donald wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"My lovely madam, may I have a kiss?" He asked teasingly. Lilly nodded. "Permission granted, soldier," she gave him a cheeky grin. He pressed his lips onto hers. The kiss was long and sweet, their lips sticking together like two pieces of perfectly fitting puzzles, until the couple unwillingly parted.

"It is time to ship you home, missy," he said. The park was left empty as a widely grinning Donald and a weirdly giggling Lilly hopped into the Toyota.

Donald pulled up in front of her house. The two kissed again, and Donald hopped off and opened the door for Lilly. Lilly leapt onto Donald, who caught her waist and began swinging her around on the sidewalk. "I set fires to feel joy," she smiled and said. She then pressed her well-manicured hand onto his chest, where his heart beats. "I set a spark here, do you feel the joy?" Donald pressed his forehead at hers. "That's adorable." Then he kissed her on her forehead. He then took her hand, and walked towards the door. Lilly tried to persuade him from coming this far with her. They arrived at her doorstep. "All I want you to remember is that you are gorgeous tonight, and I love you. Sleep tight." He pressed another kiss onto her forehead. Then he went towards his car. Lilly played her fingers at the doorknob, she turned around and blew Donald a kiss. Donald smiled at her and drove away.

"Yuri-chan," Lilly's mother saw her daughter, all blissful and happy dropping onto the sofa. "You seemed so happy, did you have fun?"

Lilly nodded happily, and stood up. She removed her heels and held the pair in her hand. "I will wash up and go to bed now, goodnight mama." She walked upstairs. Her mother stared at her, with a grateful yet concerned look.

Lilly quickly washed up and changed into pajamas. She checked her phone, Donald texted her.

From: Donald

_Sleep tight, flower girl. 3_

_You free tomorrow for breakfast?_

She giggled at the text and replied quickly, before sinking into a long sweet slumber.

Donald awaited her reply. He almost dropped his phone when he snatched the vibrating phone from his bedside cabinent.

From: Lilly

_Pick me up tomorrow at 8 lover boy,_

_See you in my dreams xoxo_

He chuckled and sunk into his bed.

He had another date tomorrow, and he cannot be late.

Author's note:

Well here is chapter 3! I have been recently productive recently hehe

If you want the romantic atmosphere of the park scene, you can try listening to Christina Perri's A Thousand Years when Lilly is singing it. Hope you all enjoy reading and reviewing!

V.S.V


	4. Shame or Bravery

Lilly woke up early in the morning, humming a little tune; she dressed up and waited the long arm of the clock to reach twelve. She corrected the exercise books, highlighted some main points on her textbooks for her lessons the following. Then she heard the horn beeping outside the window. She lifted thee shade, and saw Ronald dressed in his usual attire: hipster glasses, sports cardigan, jeans and all. He waved at her, while she blew him a kiss and grabbed her bag.

She almost flew down stairs, and she almost knocked the door off just before her mother called her name.

"Are you going out again, Yuri-chan?" Her mother asked with a friendly tone, looking concerned. Lilly nodded happily.

Her mother nodded, bitting her lip. "Your father will be back tonight," she reminded her. "Be back soon." Lilly smiled at her mother and left. "Byebye mama." Momoko Onakuramara smiled bitterly and sighed, then turned to the weather report today. "Today will be cloudy, the sky remains unclear and will continue to be for quite a while."

"Donnie," Lilly tiptoed and pressed a light kiss onto Donald's lips. "Lilly-flower, what do you want for breakfast?" He wrapped his arm around her waist, she snuggled and leaned on his shoulder blade. She felt warmth, tenderness and safety, all radiating from his body. "You are more muscular than I thought," she suddenly said randomly, knocking at his chest. Donald shrugged, and replied with a grin. "Gotta toughen up to shade you from wind and rain," he smiled, holding her hand in his as they walked towards the car.

Lilly and Donald hung out around town after having a delightful breakfast at a cafe, and sat down on a bench at the sidewalk. There they looked at people on the street, children running happily while their parents called them from behind, old couples holding hands and walking on the street, taking their time… Lilly leaned on Donald's shoulder. He sipped from his cup of espresso, then looked at Lilly. "Liz, I want to ask you something," Lilly sat up as his voice popped into her ear. She looked at him with concern. "I was just wondering, how is your father like? You never mentioned about him, not in Barden, not now." Lilly looked down at her toes. Her father, yes her father.

Lilly, she was a flower, a well protected that had lived in the greenhouse for most of her life. Under the wing of Shizun Onakuramara, her father, her hero, her guardian, she grew quietly. She was never a loud child, and her father liked children to 'behave', in his case children should be quiet and only speak when they had permission to or when they were spoken to. He was strict, loving, but strict. Her mother, Momoko was the typical Japanese wife and mother: loving, quiet, hardworking and tender. She followed her husband's will. His wish was her command. She was also protective towards her children; so protective it was almost suffocating. Lilly was a flower that lived in a planned life, she never disobeyed her parents' wishes, not even once she tried to speak against her father.

Lilly shrugged and answered hastily. "He is a nice man." Donald sensed that she does not want to answer or elaborate further. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She looked away, biting her lip. She had a bad feeling inside.

Donald pulled over at the same spot. Lilly pecked his cheek and hurried back into the house. He reluctantly looked at her tiny figure moving away, and drove away slowly.

Lilly opened the door quietly and entered the house. She saw the suitcase at the doorway. She took a gulp and announced quietly, even more soundless than she was before. "I am home."

She heard her mother greeting her warmly, asking her to go and wash up for dinner. Then she heard a dry cough. Her father's cough. She took another gulp and washed her hands.

Everyone was silent around the dinning table. Everything tasted bland, not even her favourite grilled mackerel cheered her up. She kept on looking at her father, who seemed to appear normal, drinking sake and eating his meal. Lilly finished her meal and drank her miso soup quietly, then took her empty bowl into the kitchen. She heard her father put down his sake cup and cleared his throat.

"Yuri, I want to talk to you." He spoke to her, not looking at her. The last time he asked to speak to her specifically, was the time he discovered that she filled in music as her first choice of university subject. She nodded and washed her bowl.

She then headed towards the study room, and glanced at her mother quickly before entering the room.

Shizun was reading a thick leathered-back book, when Lilly entered the room. He closed his book, and signaled Lilly to sit down with a glance at the chair. Lilly took her seat, looking at her toes. "Yuri," he smiled at her, but his eyes pierced her. "How have you been recently?"

Lilly smiled and replied. "I am fine, father." He did a little nod. "Have you got anything that you need to tell me?"

Lilly took a gulp, and nodded. "Father, I have started dating." His eyebrow arched with interest. "Well tell me about him," he said. Lilly nodded.

"He was from Barden as well, he had recently got a job in the marketing section of a large firm. He is three years older than me." She reported quietly. Her father looked at her, longing for more. She took a deep breath and decided to drop the bomb on her father. "His name is Donald, Donald Ananth Singh." She announced, the colour seemed to drain from her father's face. Slowly his face straightened. "He is Indian." Lilly then looked down at her toes. She could hear her father inhaling and exhaling deeply. "I never believed that, my daughter, out of everyone would do this to me." Lilly avoided his stare. "Why would you do such a thing to me?" She sensed his anger and disappointing leaking through his words. "Why would you bring shame to our family?" He asked her. Lilly looked at her father, her eyes filled with hurt and anger. "Father," she slowly raised her voice. "It is not a crime to love, it is certainly not shame that I bring to the family, it is bravery and honour." Her father was surprised that she raised her voice. He looked at her angrily. "I forbade you to see him," he said grumpily. "I will arrange a meeting between you and Tairo, my business partner's son. A respectable, honourable gentleman." Lilly stood up, her eyes teary. "Father, with all due respect," she said stiffly. "I will not have this, I love him, for all his is." Then she turned her back at him. "I am not the quiet child anymore, I am a grown person."

Then she slammed the door of the study shut, and went back into her room.

At that moment she began to her scheming. Her 'Project Runaway'.

As she plans her next move, her heart seemed to break a little.

Author's note:

Well this is the new chapter, thanks for waiting. It is a bit short, but hope you all enjoy this. Have fun reading and reviewing!

V.S.V


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